[pragmatique] PSA: This is no TAILS.

Delete this message

Reply to this message
Author: ng0
To: pragmatique
Subject: [pragmatique] PSA: This is no TAILS.
Before I start: I have no problem with TAILS. I like what the
project is doing. I just don't like that I dropped the name
TAILS before I announced my now almost 2 years work towards
getting this system shaped into where it's heading now.

In `issue #6`_ of www_bugs I wrote that the website needs to
be more explicit about facts why this is not TAILS.
So, let's just take the front website to compare:

- Tails is a live operating system that you can start on almost

GuixSD is just starting to work towards being able to be used
from optical devices. The default image is intended for
USB stick, SD card or directly virtual/physical hard/solidstate drives.

- It aims at preserving your privacy and anonymity, and helps you to:

pragmaOS aims at restoring civilrights online. This does not include
anonymity, it is out of the scope of this project (but subject of another

- use the Internet anonymously and circumvent censorship;

The goal is to get away from using Exit tunnels (we will still use them for
a very long time, let's be realistic) and enable easy use and setup
of services which make use of GNUnet. So in this case, yes it's the
internet and no it's not the internet as used through tor or the
definition of "the internet" as we talk about it today.

- all connections to the Internet are forced to go through the Tor network;

All connections will eventually be forced through GNUnet, but this is
not a fixed design yet. As you might've noticed there is a number of
documents missing or incomplete, like "design decisions". At the moment
it's on paper, nowhere digital.
This is mainly due to the fact that I currently have some other things
which keep me occupied.

- leave no trace on the computer you are using unless you ask it explicitly;

Impossible as GNUnet will store data on the device (the USB stick for example)
which contains the system. This system is set up for daily use, not
like a burner phone. There are exceptions considered, but the same applies as
above "todo: paper -> website".


- Tails is built upon Debian.

GuixSD is an independent system, sharing no roots with Debian
whatsoever. pragmaOS bases on GuixSD, not Debian.

- Tails is Free Software.

While this is true to some extent, there is HEADS_ which fixes existing problem.

- Tails sends its traffic through Tor.

With pragmaOS I work towards creating a blend of a system which
makes use of GNUnet and to make it *easy* usable for everyone.
Traffic is sent through it, but it also includes a good amount
of stitching together ideas, thoughts and existing code to get
what I really want: interaction with GNUnet. You will get your
system updates through gnunet-fs. etc etc. It's not just about
the traffic, it's about creating a useful platform for applications
while staying as lightweight as possible.

.. _issue #6: https://notabug.org/pragmatique/www_bugs/issues/6
.. _HEADS: http://heads.dyne.org/
PGP: https://people.pragmatique.xyz/ng0/